


see you later

by smoll_jane



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternative universe - business men, Ambition, Angst, Break Up, M/M, Memories, Post-Break Up, lovers to strangers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 15:08:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20762381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smoll_jane/pseuds/smoll_jane
Summary: Mingyu thought he was okay with his new lifestyle.Turns out a huge meeting is enough for him to change his mind. Bitter memories, never-achieved dreams, … and his ex-boyfriend.





	see you later

**Author's Note:**

> hi folks !  
short one-shot, written kinda quickly, i have to admit it's not a masterpiece but i enjoyed writing it. hope you'll enjoy reading it too ! as usual, let me know anything you may think about it :)  
take care ♡

If someone told him a few years ago that his days would resume to sitting behind a desk and fill in files after files, he wouldn't have believed them. But things are what they are, university was expensive and hard, he was tired, he needed to move away, and here he is.

A low level commercial degree seemed to be enough to offer Mingyu a new start.

There's already three empty cups of coffee on his desk when his boss drops a pile of paperworks longer than his future.

"Add the names on this list to the people attending the meeting. I want it for yesterday."

Jihoon disappears and Mingyu sighs. He chose it to be his routine, and there's nothing he can complain about. Incheon is far enough of Seoul, his job gives him enough to live comfortably, he made new friends.

As his eyes trail along the pages, he can't help but loosing his focus for a millisecond when he sees a specific last name. Hopefully, it is very common, comes back many times on the list. There's no first name, just the last ones and the company the people are coming from.

He adapted to his screen a long time ago, doesn't mind staring at it for long hours and feeling dizzy when the day finally ends. In a way, he likes it. Having no time to daydream, being too tired to think about anything else in the evening. Of course, he sometimes goes out with colleagues after work, but he never stays sober long enough to let his thoughts linger too far.

When Mingyu is finally done with his task, he notices there's no more light around him, the sky is dark and only his screen lights up the room. He stretches his limbs, wonders when the four other cups arrived on his desk, and especially when he emptied them. He shrugs, tries to carry them all and makes his way to the small break room. He never understood why it is so small, for a company of more than fifty employees. There's two tables, maybe fifteen chairs. Maybe is it because no one has time to take a break in the day, or maybe because he just never really paid attention to it.

Cups clean, computer off, he can finally go home and mentally prepare for tomorrow. As he locks the door, Mingyu sighs. He's gonna play the secretary again, since the last one resigned a few weeks ago. For the three years he has been working here, Mingyu is the only one to have lasted this long. He never really tried to know why, though he knows he wouldn't take long to figure it out. He just doesn't want to think about it.

So, he'll settle for the secretary and welcome all the women and men that will invade the building to talk about business. With a bit more courage, he could have been one of them. But, and that's what he decided a long time ago, he's weak and can't handle it. That's it, that's just what things are.

A boring life is perfect, just what he needs.

~

"Can you believe Mingyu?! There are people coming from all around the world!"

Right now, the only thing that matters to Mingyu's mind as he's violently being shaken by the shoulders, still not really efficient at this early hour, is to know who had the amazing idea to give Soonyoung coffee. He can sense Jisoo holding back a laugh behind his back, and would actually like to shake Soonyoung back just for him to calm down.

"You know", starts Jisoo, probably in a vain try to catch the battery's attention. "There are also people from Seoul."

No need to say it is a fail, a big, huge fail. But still, Soonyoung lets go of his prey and starts jumping around. At least, Mingyu is free. He sighs and rubs his arms, just where Soonyoung's claws were digged in, and looks at him being the child he never really stopped being. He turns to Jisoo with an amused smile.

"Do you know some of the attendees? I saw there are some from Los Angeles."

Jisoo shakes his head. The smile he gives him then is meaningful enough for him to do without words. _We're at the __bottom__ of the ladder, how could I know anyone so influent?_ Mingyu sighs and nods. Because that's all he can do. If he, decided to settle for this place, he knows for sure there are others who are dreaming for more and probably won't ever even brush it from the finger tip.

After a few more words about the day ahead of them, Jisoo leaves to his desk and lets Mingyu prepare himself mentally for the parade. Checking the list one last time, he startles when the main door slams open, leaving way to Jihoon in all his glory, Chan running on his heels.

"They're coming, get ready!"

As usual, time is money and he doesn't lose time to be any more friendly before entering the meeting room to prepare the last details. Chan quickly waves at them and rushes that more to not get the door slammed at his nose.

Not long after them, Junhui bursts in the office, out of breath, looking completely panicked at the idea of being late, but his eyes immediately fill in with relief when he notices there's no one yet. He bends down to catch his breath and leans on Mingyu's desk with a smile.

"Ready?"

All Mingyu can do is chuckle while looking down on the pile in front of him. There's more names on the list than he knows people in real life. He can already see exhaustion leaning against the doorway, smirking at him, waiting for the end of the day to cling on him like a leech.

"At least you'll be the interpreters, but me, all I have to do is put checks in small boxes."

He tries not to sound too bitter, but Junhui's sorry smile is enough for him to tell he failed. Mingyu sighs, enjoying the luxury of stretching his arms one last time before the storm.

~

Someway, it's thrilling. Seeing all those foreigners doing all the way here for a meeting. Mingyu's brain is running hundred miles an hour, but he can still find time to smile at them, admire the rich suits and watches, follow the cascades of shiny hair from the eyes.

Junhui, Jisoo and Soonyoung come back and forth to lead the guests according to where they're coming from, Mandarin, Cantonese, English and Japanese floating in the air. When he's asked anything in Korean, Mingyu almost forgets his own language, too focused on finding names on glossy paper and trying to retain faces. No need to say it's a total fail.

"Mmh... Zhou Jieqiong and Mingh... I'm sorry could you repeat your name please?"

In front of him is standing a very serious looking duo, but what unsettles Mingyu the most is the jaded glare he's given by the tall man, probably annoyed both to be here and be disrespected. Mingyu would love, he swears, to remember the name he told him not even five seconds ago. But the noise, the exhaustion -that obviously decided to visit him much earlier than planned, and the Chinese man's hand placed so close of his pile he can admire the veins and knuckles with no difficulty, all of this is disrupting him way too much.

"Mingyu? Mingyu!"

He startles, more violently than intended, wrinkling a sheet under his hand as he looks up to see who called for his name. Junhui looks surprised, eyes widened, waving a hand in front of his face to bring him back on Earth. For a second, Mingyu feels a sob clogging his throat, but he quickly swallows it and focuses on the man's face on whom pity replaced annoyance. For what Mingyu can suppose, Junhui apologizes in Mandarin, bowing many times, and gently makes him stand up.

"Take a break, I'll take care of this."

Mingyu would protest, he would like to say he can do it, but one look at the queue of people waiting make him hold back his whines and squeeze Junhui's shoulder in gratitude before fleeing.

The voices seem to get further as he gets deeper in the open space, getting away from the entrance and the chaos it lets in. He didn't feel it when working, but now that he's walking there's a heavy burden on his chest. With a sigh, Mingyu loosens his tie as he makes his way to the break room.

The lights are off, at the exception of the coffee machine waiting for him, peacefully flickering, waiting to hum and let the bitter liquid fall just for him. Mingyu doesn't bother turning the light on, waits for his beverage as he rubs his face. It's not even noon, he thought he could do it, take this responsibility. But maybe this meeting is affecting him more than he would let himself think. For a long, long time he dreamt of being at these people's place. He can say whatever he wants, he can't fool himself with saying his actual situation is what he wants and needs.

Mingyu is and has always been a great liar, especially to himself.

Sitting at a single table, palms covering his face as the coffee smokes under his nose, Mingyu allows himself to think he took the wrong decision for the first time. He denied it for so long it clenches his heart with the memories it brings back. A tear would have been about to roll on his cheek if a sound didn't make him startle and straighten up.

"Sorry, didn't want to surprise you," Chan offers him a warm smile. Pouring himself a coffee too, he quickly joins Mingyu at the table.

The intern has always brought something reassuring. It is his smile, or rather the halo of goodness always surrounding him, Mingyu can't tell. But the truth is Chan's presence itself is enough to make the sorrow step back.

"Are you okay? You seem a bit off, if I can say." There's no bad intention in the young man's voice, just a genuine will to help and comfort. He said it with his eyes dived in the light color of his coffee drowned in milk, but then he looks up to Mingyu. "This event is such a thing, right?"

Mingyu nods, takes down the last sip of coffee in his cup. It burns his throat despite having been cold for long minutes now. He stands up, hesitating a second before looking at Chan straight in the eyes.

"I think regrets took place between the guests. Never divert your path Chan, okay? Take this as a friend's advice, you'll thank me later."

Mingyu leaves the room under Chan's confused glance. He knows he should have explained, or said nothing at all, but he somehow needed to let the words out loud, needed someone to hear them. He decides to take a detour to the restroom to freshen up his face before taking over Junhui again.

But maybe he won't get back so early.

He'd like it to be an illusion his mind came up with, he'd like it to be nothing but the logical sequel of the bitterness that has slowly taken place in him since the morning, but Mingyu can't deny what he sees, _who _he sees when he enters the room.

He can't see him at first, bending down to splash his face with water, but Mingyu doesn't fail to recognize him at first glance. And he also doesn't fail to see the pain immediately painting on his face in the reflection the mirror hanging above the sinks offers him. He could go away, actually, he would have enough time to do so, but a tiny voice whispers to him that it's not a coincidence. All of this, all of this happening today is meant to lead him to conclusions, to questions, to something new.

But not without its share of pain.

When Wonwoo straightens up and looks through the mirror, he doesn't recognize him at first. An old reflex pushes Mingyu to take a step to hand him his glasses on the edge of the sink, but he hopefully manages to stop before it's too late. Wonwoo can't see Mingyu's watering eyes for now, smiles at him in a polite way, smiles at him like a _stranger_.

It's stronger than him. His heart is taken on a tsunami, the wave won't let it push its head out of the water to breathe. Quickly, Mingyu feels like lacking of air. Quickly, he feels like he should have ran away when he still could.

But now, Wonwoo puts his glasses on and stops squinting, the smile leaves his face, giving place to surprise and soon enough something Mingyu can't immediately put a name on. But quickly, it hits him.

Shame.

Wonwoo turns around to face him, to take down the intermediary that was still separating them. Mingyu's head is spinning, he would like to sit down and stop thinking about every little situation their height difference led them to in the past.

The past. Because that's what everything this day seems to be leading him to. The past, his mistakes, his regrets, his memories.

He won't ever forget the first time he saw him.

_There was almost no light, room dark and smoky, music loud and deafening, alcohol acrid and dizzying. But surprinsingly, Wonwoo was very clear through his eyes when they fell on him. Literally. A cup of whatever weird liquor it was spilled on Mingyu's shirt, two stupid laughs. Wonwoo's vain tries to rub the sticky orange beverage off with a wet towel. Alone together in the kitchen, too drunk, too _ _young_ _, too stupid. A kiss, two kisses, three kisses and so on. _

Mingyu's throat burns from the words he can't get out of his mouth, out of his mind.

_Ironically, like every bad romcom, they ended up in the same class, full of embarassment that quickly disappeared as they found a new equivalent to the kitchen. The bleachers of uni were a nice spot, then Mingyu's car, then Wonwoo's apartment, then the whole world, just for the two of them. Mingyu thought they'd travel it all, thought they'd go through everything together forever. _

Mingyu was naive.

"If you're here that means you succeeded."

That's all he can say without his voice shaking. Ridiculous. It's been a long time since he last considered himself a teenager, but this flow of sharp, raw feelings remind him of his young years. Determined to understand the society, learn how to be someone who would be respected, catch the rules of justice.

He never did, any of these things.

Wonwoo nods, jaw clenched, eyes sad. How can he allow himself to look sad ? How can he when he's the one to have left ? When he's the one to have chosen ?

This has always been the rule, the untold law.  
Wonwoo was a realist, Mingyu was an idealist.  
Wonwoo had goals, Mingyu had dreams.  
Wonwoo knew where to go, Mingyu was lost.

_"I'm sorry Mingyu. I can't do this anymore. I have to success, and I feel like I can't do it with you, not like that. You're too good for me, for anyone, I don't know how to deal with that and my goals."_

How many times did he play the lame excuse in his head ? He lost the track of it, stopped counting on purpose, vainly trying to stitch the gaping wound in him.

Wonwoo knew where to go and didn't hesitate to get rid of what slowed him down. Mingyu was lost and his pinwheel had been taken away from him, ran away from him, actually. He drifted away, left everything he had back then, disoriented, feeling like it was the end of everything. His youth taken away, his future broken like a mirror, bringing him years of misfortune, his luggage empty. He somehow landed in Incheon like a bottle at sea, somehow built something new. Fragile, unsteady, unsure.

But now, now he knows. He knows he just has to build it stronger, steadier, surer. Because he wants it to hold and harbour him with no risk for the ceiling to fall on his head and make him start everything from the beginning again.

"Enjoy the meeting."

The door closes, the pain stays in the restroom with Wonwoo.

~

"And you're sure he'll be okay with it?"

"Yeah I promise you, he already told me many times he prefers things like that. Jihoon is the kind of boss that wants his employees to do what they want. And it's that better if it's in his interests."

Mingyu looks at his screen. All the lights around are off, the moon as only lighting, its halo spreading wide on the floor. Chan pats his shoulder and gives him a cheering smile.

"Someone told me to not divert my path. But if I was to change this advice a bit, I'd say you can fall off the road, many times, but you have to go back on it each time."

Mingyu nods, takes a deep breath and presses the button to dowload the registration file for university.

Chan is right. He can fail as many times as he wants, but he has no excuse to not try again.


End file.
